Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES JAMES TEMPLE, OF DANVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT `TO ROBERT P. BARBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,948, dated February 18, 1873.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, J AMES TEMPLE, of Danville, in the county of Montour and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Railroad-Car Couplings, of which the following is a specification:

The object of this invention is to provide a cheap andeffective automatic coupling mechanism for railroad cars, not liable to get out of order, and which may be readily and cheaply applied to the draw-heads now in common use on railroads.

I In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of a draw-head of the ordinary construction with my improvements attached, the coupling-pin being raised and ready to fall and engage with the coupling-link when the cars come in contact. Fig. 2 is a crosssection of the saine. Fig. 3 is a top viewof the upper plate of the draw-head, the coupl `lingpin and its attached -stirrup being represented as cut off above the upper surface of said plate.

A'is the upper plate of the draw-head, and A' the lower plate of the same. B is the coupling-pin, and B' a stirrup riveted thereto at b, and embracing the draw-head. Projecting laterally from the lower side of the plate A are two small studs, c c, to support the-coup ling-.pin and its attached stirrup When raised, as shown in Fig. 1, and, when the saw-tooth catches c' in the sides of said stirrup, engage with said studs. D is a guide-stirrup suspended from the lower side of the bottom plate A' of the draw-head, the inclined sides of which so guide the stirrup B' that when the couplin g-pin is raised'the saw-tooth catches will engage with said studs c c and hold the pin in its raised position. E E are two upright struts attached to the plates A and A' on opposite sides of the draw-head, which support two cross-bars, e e, for sustaining the coupling-link in a horizontal position. The

lower cross-bar e should be on a level with the lower part of the mouth in the face-plate of the draw-head, and the ends ofthe coupling-link may be bent upward a little, the better to secure its entering the draw-head of the Vcar with which it is to connect. When cars are to be coupled whose draw-heads are not on the same level, a bent link, such as is usual in such cases, must be used. F is a sliding plate, lying fiat on theI upper side of plate A of the draw=head, with its forward part protruding through a mortise in the face-plate Gr of the draw-head, and bent down, as shown in the drawing, Fig. 1, at f.- The two points f', which come in contact with the stirrup B', are bent upward, forming vertical flanges, as shown in Fig. 1. v

The' operation is as follows: In the drawhead of one of the cars the coupling-link is so placed that it will protrude far enough to enter the draw-head of the opposite car and penand without discarding any of the parts thereof y as now in use.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a draw-head of the l fOTm and OOIISI'LICIOII HOW Ill COUIIIIOII IISG O11 railroad cars, the stirrup B', attached to the coupling-pin, with its saw-tooth catches o', the projecting studs c c, and the sliding backlashplate F, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

2. In combination with the said stirrup B',

backlash-plate F, and studs c o, the guidestirrupiD, substantially as described.

3. In combination with said stirrup B', backlash-plate F, and studs o c, the cross-bars e e to support the link, substantially as described.

JAMES TEMPLE.

Witnesses:

J. J. CooMBs, T. M. OooMBs. 

